Cruz blasts Dewhurst edits in TV ad

CORRECTION: The original post of this story stated Cruz said he was “listed as counsel of record” on the Matt Patrick Show. The quote actually came from his appearance on state Sen. Dan Patrick’s radio show broadcast from KSEV-AM Houston.

Ted Cruz chastised David Dewhurst’s campaign on KTRH-AM Houston’s “The Matt Patrick Show” Friday morning for taking his statements out of context in an ad. The TV spot accuses Cruz of being the “lead lawyer” in a case defending a Chinese manufacturing company that infringed on an American entrepreneur’s patent.

In the ad, Cruz can be heard saying the phrase “I am listed as the counsel of record…” before he’s cut off by a voiceover. The statement was snipped from an appearance Cruz made on state Sen. Dan Patrick’s radio show in Houston, where he continued to say “…which is the lawyer that receives the service.” Cruz also said he “didn’t write the brief, I didn’t argue the case and I’ve never appeared in any courtroom in regard to that case,” during the broadcast.

The Dewhurst ad implies Cruz’s statement on the radio was admittance to heavy involvement in the case. He visited the “Matt Patrick Show” to comment on the truncation of his words.

“Wow, uh, I’m shocked, quite frankly ‘cause I’m not the sharpest tack in the box, but even I realize there was an edit in that thing,” Matt Patrick said to Cruz on air. “It seems very desperate to me.”

“It’s politics,” Cruz responded. “They’re going to attack—that has been their pattern all along. Three weeks from now we’re going to look at this ad and see it as mild and relatively honest compared to what they’re going to do in the next three to four weeks.”

Jordan M. Steiker, law professor at the University of Texas, said Cruz can argue a grey area regarding his involvement in the case because the phrase “lead lawyer” could imply anything from writing the case brief to appearing in court to someone unfamiliar with legal terminology.

“He’s not the ‘lead lawyer’ in that he did not construct the arguments, but you do bear ultimate responsibility for the filing if you sign on as counsel of record,” Steiker said.